cnltc345 wrote:Have anyone had problem with Taiwan Tea Craft? I've ordered from them recently and I tried to contact them a few times for the tracking number regarding the shipment, but I never get a response. It is my first time buying from the vendor and I don't know how they operate. Any comments?

My personal experience is that they ship in a 24 hours delay.

However, they posted some warnings (maybe on Facebook, I'm not sure) where they said that their delays for shipping and e-mail would be very long until... January 8th or something like that - I suggest you check that out. I think that's why they had this price reduction until yesterday.

Yup, TTC sent out a newsletter a couple weeks ago saying they'd be taking a break throughl Jan 6th, which is today, and that shipping resumes tomorrow. I'm sure you'll hear back soon. I've ordered from them quite a few times and they've always been responsive and helpful when there's been an issue.

They arrived covered in a residue of machine oil and buffing compound. No amount of cleaning has been able to get the smell out. When I wrote them about the problem this was their response:

"You might be over sensitive with machine oil. I just could suggest you use other material canister, such as ceramic and porcelain."

I sent three messages to them in November asking for a refund and they never responded.

I washed them three times by hand with bottle brushes and maybe 6-7 times in the dishwasher. A few of the lids broke and the pull handle on the lid came off a few of them. They said they would send me a new lid with my next order.

Anyone else for a side of machine oil with their tea?

One a side note, I left a review of the on Grand Tea's website, which they later removed. Grand Tea does list "must wash carefully" in the description.

(Edit: add full company name)

Last edited by BioHorn on Feb 28th 15 2:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.

That is incredibly ... bad ... to say the very least. I cannot imagine any vendor selling food canisters not in a virtually ready to use condition let alone covered in machine oil. And so bad that there is a permanent odor or residue.

That is incredibly ... bad ... to say the very least. I cannot imagine any vendor selling food canisters not in a virtually ready to use condition let alone covered in machine oil. And so bad that there is a permanent odor or residue.

Thank you, Chip. Posting here is not pleasant.

If anyone has experience salvaging these, please let me know how you did it!

And they tried to convince me all the problems were my fault:
"we never never get a feedback like this special condition from other clients."

"we sold a lot to Germany, but never get the similar feedback like yours."

"And you said the tab of one canister on the lid broke off from opening the lid as you wash four hours. " (I never put the lids in the dishwasher... )

"Your ordered Canister was sold a lot to Russia and other EU countries for good quality and competitive price. They also figure out the smell by washing. Rrecommand you change another cleaner."

I have those exact tea canister.
I bought 20 of it 3years ago from( if i remember well, the dragon tea house)
When i got them i clean em with soap and soak it in hot water few
Minutes. There was effectly kind of aluminium dust inside.
Anyway i alway use bags inside them.
And the exterior aesthetic is ok.
Never Had problem with the knob.

If they really are stainless steel, you have a chance at getting them clean (as opposed to aluminum, which would probably generate a black streak from here to eternity). It sounds like you've already tried a fair amount of cleaning. So I'll assume that you already tried hot water and a degreaser.

Another option is to try a baking soda paste to scrub them (supposedly this is a mild abrasive and won't hurt the finish).

And a last ditch option -- find a jeweler or machine shop that does anodizing of parts. They should have a sonicator cleaning system that should be able to do the job.

BioHorn wrote:
If anyone has experience salvaging these, please let me know how you did it!

i'd be kind of surprised if you couldn't clean them. what do they smell like? nasty oil?

wipe them out with a rag wet with the following solvent, and if that doesn't work, move to the next solvent in the list:
-- 91% isopropyl alcohol (aka: rubbing alcohol; availability: any pharmacy; notes: fairly safe)
-- acetone (availability: any hardware store; notes: relatively safe, but it evaporates very quickly and will dry your hands out)
-- xylene, toluene, or naphtha (availability: any hardware store; notes: naphtha and toluene are a bit more toxic than xylene, but i wouldn't worry about a brief exposure. no worse than painting a room or something. i would work outside or in a well ventilated area. don't huff the fumes.)

afterwards, wash them with soap and water and run them through the dishwasher.

all of these solvents are obviously pretty flammable (including their vapors).
work in a well ventilated area, preferably outside.

you should easily be able to remove all traces of grease and crud without going far down that list (rubbing alcohol should work).

if the smell doesn't go away, then just throw the containers out. your only other option would be to buff the insides of the containers out to physically remove some of the material. is it worth the work?

BioHorn wrote:
If anyone has experience salvaging these, please let me know how you did it!

i'd be kind of surprised if you couldn't clean them. what do they smell like? nasty oil?

wipe them out with a rag wet with the following solvent, and if that doesn't work, move to the next solvent in the list:
-- 91% isopropyl alcohol (aka: rubbing alcohol; availability: any pharmacy; notes: fairly safe)
-- acetone (availability: any hardware store; notes: relatively safe, but it evaporates very quickly and will dry your hands out)
-- xylene, toluene, or naphtha (availability: any hardware store; notes: naphtha and toluene are a bit more toxic than xylene, but i wouldn't worry about a brief exposure. no worse than painting a room or something. i would work outside or in a well ventilated area. don't huff the fumes.)

afterwards, wash them with soap and water and run them through the dishwasher.

all of these solvents are obviously pretty flammable (including their vapors).
work in a well ventilated area, preferably outside.

you should easily be able to remove all traces of grease and crud without going far down that list (rubbing alcohol should work).

if the smell doesn't go away, then just throw the containers out. your only other option would be to buff the insides of the containers out to physically remove some of the material. is it worth the work?

Pedant. Thank you for giving some options. I will give ethanol a shot.
It seems the oil/ buffing compound is trapped in the creases of the container.

Is it worth the work? Probably not! The amount of work to this point has been ridiculous! I just really would like my tea out of pouches and in containers.

Anyone had a problem with JKtea shop? I paid my order about 10 days ago and it's still processing. I've emailed them twice and no answer. Is this type of behaviour normal to them or should I be worried.